What are one or two of your greatest business and/or community achievements?

Community – working with at risk youth. It is increasingly rewarding to work with youth who are labeled with negative connotations and provide them with advice and a listening ear to be heard and most of all understood. A lot of these young people come from neighborhoods similar to the one I grew up in and just want to be understood. Having the ability to let them see into my life and upbringing without judging them allows them to see that their current situation does not have to be their permanent state and that they are not just “bad” children. To see changes and pour into our youth the same way others poured into me provides me with a sense of purpose, striving to fuel and energize our next generation of community leaders.

Professionally – expansion of services within our communities within my first two years as CEO. ICCHC has grown and will continue to grow in the upcoming year. In 2025, we expanded our Beauregard footprint, opening a new location in DeRidder. Within the last two years, ICCHC increased its counseling services in Acadiana and has plans to further increase these services within the next two years. We have started construction on a new 39,000 square foot facility in Lafayette, Surrey Street Community Health Center, which will expand healthcare access in 2027. This site will bridge together our medical, dental, mental health, and pediatric services and also bring in pharmacy and women’s health services to the community. We will also be expanding our optometry and medical services into South Lafayette parish in 2026. Expansion allows for not only increased access to a vast array of services but also an increase in job opportunities within the communities being served.

What’s your favorite thing about what you do for a living?

Providing access to underserved communities throughout the parishes we serve. For communities, particularly those stricken with socioeconomic challenges, ICCHC opens the doors to some of our communities’ most vulnerable populations, providing them access to high quality care to help improve their overall quality of life. The reward comes in the ability to help ensure organizations such as ICCHC remain in existence to help provide care for our communities. Community health centers hold a special place in my heart as they were the place in which I received care as a young child as well as that took and continues to take care of my Mother. My daughter also receives care from a community health center, ICCHC in particular, and not just because I work there but because I know the highly skilled, trained, Board certified professionals therein strive day in and day out to provide the highest quality of care to all they are privileged to care for.

Words simply cannot describe how rewarding the job can be but I can say I never leave work too stressed to the point I don’t want to return because I recognize that what we do collectively provides care to over 27 ,000 patients across the State of Louisiana who may not have access to such care if not for the existence of us and our other colleagues within the community health center mission.

You rose from regional office manager to CEO in a few years, leading a multi-site operation. What’s one leadership decision you made during that rapid transition that you’re especially proud of?

I would say my ability to stand up for what is right. Sometimes when you stand up for what is right, you have to stand alone. And when you stand alone, it can be very isolating. It can be very challenging. But at the end of the day, as long as you’re doing what is right, that is the most important thing that you can do.

So that was the biggest accomplishment I would say that helped me rise to this point – that I stood for what was right, and I continue to do so. My staff is one of the best that’s out there. So as long as I make them happy, we make the community happy. All is well.